More accolades are coming in for the Warehouse Artist Lofts, the mixed-used, CADA-backed project that opened in January on the R Street corridor.

The Urban Land Institute this week listed WAL as one of five finalists for its prestigious “Jack Kemp” award recognizing the nation’s top affordable housing project.

CADA director Wendy Saunders said the project, built by CFY Development, is getting kudos for overcoming numerous challenges, including preserving an historic building with contamination issues.

“But really the cherry on top was the emphasis on the arts,” she said. “Not only having work spaces for artists … but also having a resident selection process that considered artists’ competency and stature.”

Ali Youssefi, an exec with CFY, said it’s an “awesome honor” to be recognized by ULI. Win or lose, the project will be showcased at the national real estate organization’s annual conference in October.

“People will see Sacramento is doing some pretty cool, cutting-edge development,” he said.

A juror from ULI will be in town later this month to evaluate the project. A winner will be named in September.

Meet the CADA Board

"CADA was a pioneer in the movement to introduce mixed income residents to urban living. People said it would never be successful; CADA proved them wrong."Scott Syphax, Developer and Former CADA RSR Nehemiah Corporation